Pettitte stifles Mariners; Yankees win 3-1

Let’s be real: Friday night’s loss was annoying as hell because of the offensive no-show against Jeremy freakin’ Bonderman. The Yankees shook off the loss and rebounded with a 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon, getting a very encouraging outing from the starting pitcher and two well-timed hits from the utility infielder. Let’s recap…

85 & Fly: Andy Pettitte ran out of gas once his pitch count reached 70 or so last time out, so Joe Girardi made sure to have the quick hook ready and got his 40-year-old starter out of there after 85 effective pitches on Saturday. Pettitte was outstanding, allowing just three singles and one run in 7.1 innings of work. He struck out six and had six 1-2-3 innings in his seven full frames. It was vintage Andy, better than that really, and he got his well-earned 250th career win. Congrats to him.

New York Nix: The Yankees have scored a whole bunch of runs early in games recently, but they hadn’t scored a run after the third inning since Monday until Jayson Nix singled in Ichiro Suzuki in the fifth inning. Two innings later, Nix singled in Brett Gardner for an insurance run. There’s no real reason to ever bat Jayson second, but the beauty of baseball is that anything can happen on a given day. On this day he went 2-for-4 with a walk and drove in both the go-ahead and insurance runs.

Shaky But Effective: David Robertson and Mariano Rivera pitched in relief of Pettitte and were a bit shaky, but ultimately they nailed down the win. Robertson walked Brendan Ryan (!) while Rivera surrendered a jam-shot single to Kyle Seager and a four-pitch walk to former teammate Raul Ibanez. Mo struck out the side for his 22nd save. Girardi would have had hell to pay if they blew the game after taking Pettitte out so early, but I don’t have a problem with it. Again, 40-year-old coming off back injuries in each of the last two months. Better safe than sorry so soon after coming off the DL.

Leftovers: Gardner went 3-for-5 with two doubles and is hitting very well right now … Nix and Vernon Wells (!) were the only other players with multiple hits … the top five hitters went 9-for-22 while the bottom four went 1-for-14 … Kevin Youkilis jammed his back sliding into first base on a defensive play (exactly how he re-injured it last time) and was icing it after the game, but apparently it’s nothing serious and he’ll be fine for tomorrow’s game. Considering his offensive performance of late, a day off wouldn’t be the end of the world.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The Rays beat the Orioles while the Red Sox split their doubleheader with the Angels, so the Yankees are one back of Boston, one up on Tampa, and two up on Baltimore in the loss column. David Phelps and Felix Hernandez is your pitching matchup for this final game of this four-game set on Sunday afternoon.

I mean, they’re exceeding reasonable expectations for them. Nix’ career OPS+ before this season was 75. Before today, it was 87. Probably over 90 now.

Stewart’s career OPS+ before 2013 was 62. Before this game, it was 90. His OBA was actually .330. I mean, he actually hit a ball hard today. No, really, I saw it. And it wasn’t even the hit he got.

So yes, they’re still bad. But they haven’t been catastrophic, yet, and that’s a small victory.

forensic

I think you’re looking at the wrong line for Nix.

His career OPS+ before this season was 75, but this season (before today) it was 72, not 87 (which is what it was last season). So, he’s actually been slightly below average even for him. Moreso if you take out his rookie year where he had a 3(!) OPS+ in 65 PA’s, which moves his career OPS+ up to 80 entering this year.

Evan3457

You’re right, I was looking at 2012 for Nix.

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

Of course they haven’t because once players put on the pinstripes they are somehow suppose to become more than what they are and get criticize if they aren’t.

However, in the real world they have played well for what they are and for how much playing time been force on them.

trr

A back-up catcher and a 25th man type?
We’ve gotten as much, if not more, than we could reasonably expect from them.

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

Shhhhhhhhhh

Don’t tell anyone it’s a secret.

Wheels

But we don’t base it on how well they are performing to their personal standards. We base it on how well they are performing as major league baseball players.

Robinson Tilapia

You can do that. That’s not what I’m doing. I agree with mustang.

forensic

but apparently it’s nothing serious and he’ll be fine for tomorrow’s game

Sounds just like what they said, twice, the last times this happened. I’ll believe he’s fine when he’s in the lineup again tomorrow both at the beginning and at the end of the game.

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

THIS!!!

Laz

Tomorrow is BGDP vs KF.

Kramerica Industries

So, uh, who else was having flashbacks of Ibanez when he came up with a chance to tie it in the 9th?

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Judging by how he was pitched, I think maybe Mo was.

vicki

raul deserved every bit of respect he got with that 4p walk too. his late & close and high leverage numbers are sick. this year as well as last.

WhittakerWalt

“There’s no real reason to ever bat Jayson second…”

Would it surprise anyone to learn that John Sterling LOVES the idea of Nix batting second?
I didn’t think so.

Evan3457

Well, uh actually…

1. That’s Sterling for ya.
2. The reason Nix was batting 2nd is that he was 4-12 vs. Saunders, lifetime, with 3 HRs, and of the Yankees on the roster, only Nix, Suzuki and Youkillis have any sort of decent career numbers against Saunders. And the way Youkillis is hitting right now…

OK, so it’s not a great reason to bat Nix 2nd. But it is a reason, and when Nix drove in Gardner with a single, it worked. Sorta.

forensic

His Saunders numbers may have had a very little bit to do with it, but Girardi loves batting him 2nd against lefties regardless of his career numbers against particular pitchers. That’s the main reason for it.

WhittakerWalt

But see, Sterling meant he loved the idea so much that he wants Nix to bat second ALL THE TIME.
Because BASEBALL PLAYER.

Evan3457

Yeah, I know. Hence the “That’s Sterling for ya.”

stuart a

cano got a hit off a lefty today, his avg got up to 202 against lefties so the fandom on the site forgive him for all previous failures…

shrewd fandom. there the same crew that will be whining in 4 years why the hell did we sign that undisciplined pile of manure for 6 more years…. what a crew of astute GM’s in training

I forgot I cannot complain about Cano because he is the best player in this lineup… like being the best player on the Astros, does not mean much. yankee pitching has been great else they would be 10 games under 500. the Rays have scored a ton more runs then the yanks with lobaton and Molina at catcher, the hack from toronto as SS and loney at 1b to name a few of there star offensive players….

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

No parades….
So disappointing…..
Need more ellipses……

Get Phelps Up

No raises either…….

WhittakerWalt

You fucked it up by using capital letters.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

dammit….

Get Phelps Up

pathetic. 1 run in 20 or so innings against a hodgepodge marilns pitching staff….brutal.

0/19 risp, terrible..almost like a lineup full of arods……..
7 of marlins 17 wins against the mets..embarrassing

at least ike davis came to play and scored the only run this terrible overpaid team could produce…until idiot collins lifted him for a pinch hitter….

sean marcums relief appearance would have been the 2nd best mets start of the year based on game score….

How was that?

WhittakerWalt

Slow clap.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

well done…..

WhittakerWalt

Idiot, I repeat: NO ONE wants to sign Cano for 10 years. No one on this site wants that. You’re the only one who seems to want that, and it’s just so you can complain about it.
I realize you’re tired from watching your Metropolitans play a 20 inning game, but get your facts straight.

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

Well not a bad night for the normal RAB whipping boys:

Wells-2 for 4
Suzuki- 1 for 3, run scored
Nix- 2 for 4 2 RBI

Only scored 3 runs! Damn the old average run per game is going to hell, but I guess I will just have to deal with the great starting pitching and the win. Poor is me.

Boar’s Head Natural All Beef Hot Dogs Presents Mustang’s Has Been and Wannabee of the Game Awards:

The Wannabe of the game Jayson “I’m not a real SS, but I play one on TV” Nix

The Has Been of the game Andy “I’m still same guy that was done August of 2008” Pettitte

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

“It was vintage Andy, better than that really, and he got his well-earned 250th career win. Congrats to him.”

AND

“His first-born son, Josh Pettitte, a right-hand pitcher for Deer Park (Texas) High School, was drafted by the Yankees in the 37th round in the Major League Baseball draft.”

It’s a shame that I had to get the second thing from ESPN!!!!

Mike fails…..LOL

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

Mike O’Neill and Josh Pettitte they are building the new core from the old core.

:)

mustang (The Has Been & Wannabes Bunch 2013)

“594th overall pick in the 1990 draft, left-hander Andy Pettitte”

WOW!!!!

High picks mean everything.

CountryClub

That’s back when they used to be able to “draft and follow”.

nycsportzfan

Just Win Baby!

OldYanksFan

I don’t know why people jump on Girardi so much.
Injuries have rendered this team as the Astros with excellent pitching.
A hot first month for the replacements, some very well timed hits and excellent pitching have this team with a far better record than anyone could have fantasized.

Gritner’s .340 leads the team in OBP. THREE FORTY is the best we can muster!
The ONLY player with an OPS over .850 is Brains Cervelli!

Our ’25 Million Dollar Man’ has an OPS of .845.

Even with men on base and desparate for a single, Teix still insists on trying to yank everything out of the park.

While we all look forward to Jeter, Grandy and ARod coming back, they will be covered in rust and lucky to hit their projections (which ain’t that great).

Our offense has some great names but in reality, it is close to an AAAA offense.

As is, this is not a good team, even though they are named the YANKEES.